Top iOS Games & Apps in September: Tinder Becomes #1 Grossing Non-Gaming App in Europe, #3 in U.S.

The top story from our Top iOS Games and Apps by Revenues and Downloads in September is Tinder becoming the #1 non-gaming app by revenues in Europe and breaking into the top three in the United States. Netflix was dethroned in Europe for the first time since October 2016. We saw a similar trend in August, when Pandora stole the streaming app’s crown in the American charts. In the games rankings, mobile esports title Summoners War was a standout in Europe, while MMO Novoland: The Castle in the Sky soared into the top three in China.

Europe: Netflix and Chill

In Europe’s non-gaming app market, Tinder took the #1 spot by revenues in September for the first time since we started this ranking. The dating app dethroned long-standing leader Netflix, which fell to #2. With summer coming to an end, it seems people are looking to swipe right for the colder seasons to come.

In terms of downloads, YouTube overtook Instagram at #2. Google had a strong month with Gmail and Chrome both gaining ground. Microsoft Outlook and Google Translate were new to the ranking at #17 and #19, respectively.

The European mobile games market in September saw strong performances from MARVEL Contest of Champions, which gained four positions to reach #8 by revenues, and Summoners War, which saw the biggest climb in the ranking. The RPG by South Korean developer and publisher Com2Us jumped five places in September to break into the top 10 at #9. The game surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenues in August while celebrating its three-year birthday. At the same time, Com2Us announced the Summoners War World Arena Championship, an offline open-registration esports tournament with a total prize pool of $100,000. With regionals currently underway globally and the World Arena Finals set for November in the U.S., it will be interesting to see if Com2Us’s mobile esports initiatives further bolster the title in the following months.

In the download charts, the entire top four was replaced with new titles. Miniclip claimed the top two positions with Flip Master and Football Strike, and Playrix’s Homescapes came in at #3. Like its successful predecessor Gardenscapes (#3 by revenues in Europe in September), Homescapes engages players in match-3 puzzles to progress, but the game focuses on interior decorating rather than landscaping. Meanwhile, Stack AR, Apple App Store’s ARKit-enabled game, entered at #12.

United States: Positivity Prevails in Anonymous-Comment Apps

In the U.S., music apps fared well in September, with Pandora retaining its position as the #1 grossing non-gaming app, Spotify climbing two places to #7, and YouTube Music entering at #16. Like in Europe, Tinder saw a successful September, gaining a position to enter the top three at the cost of HBO NOW.

In terms of downloads, anonymous-comment app tbh (short for “to be honest”) by Midnight Labs entered the ranking at #2, replacing similar app Sarahah, which held the same position in August. Like Sarahah, tbh allows users to comment anonymously about friends and peers. However, unlike its predecessor, tbh claims to only endorse positivity rather than gossip and is heavily moderated against harassment. Positivity seems to be winning, as Sarahah fell out of the download ranking altogether in September.

In the games charts, Pokémon GO lost another five places in September to rank #15 in terms of revenues. Clash Royale rose to #2, while Clash of Clans dropped four places to #6. DoubleDown Casino & Slots rose three positions to #4, entering the top five for the first time since May. Roblox gained one spot to round off the top five. The biggest climber was MADDEN NFL Mobile, jumping eight places to #10 with the start of its new season in September.

In the game download ranking, Miniclip’s Flip Master entered at #1, displacing Voodoo’s Balls VS Blocks to #2. My NBA 2K18 came in at #3.

China: MMO Novoland: The Castle in the Sky Soars to #3

Loong Entertainment’s Novoland: The Castle in the Sky, an MMO launched in August, climbed an impressive 12 places in September to be the #3 grossing mobile game in China. Luan Shi Wang Zhe, the first mobile strategy game developed by Tencent, was new to the list at #7. Meanwhile, Alibaba’s game Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon gained five positions to reach #12.

NetEase published Mojang’s Minecraft on September 15th and the game was already the second-most downloaded mobile title in China for the month. Playrix’s Homescapes and Fun Games For Free’s Sniper 3D Assassin: Shoot to Kill Gun Game were also new to the top 10 downloaded games. Six games in the top 20 ranking in September were from Western publishers.

As for the non-gaming app market, iGet climbed four places to reach #7 by revenues. Tencent’s NOW Livestream was new to the ranking at #18 and the third live-streaming app after Douyu at #11 and Inke at #16. Video dominated the revenues charts with five apps in the top 20.

In terms of downloads, QQTV climbed seven places to #1 and QQTV HD gained two positions to #3. Meanwhile, QQ dropped six places to #7.

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